Iraq Prime Minister Maliki with Iran President Rouhani: Now Maliki and

the West had better hope Iran helps hold the line against ISIS - Islamic

militants so extreme, even al-Qaeda disowned them. Sunnis vs. Shiites:

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To Save Iraq and Itself, West Must Drop War on Assad (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Germany)

"In Iraq, there are already more jihadists under arms than ever fought in Afghanistan. What's new is that among them are several thousand who hail from Europe, and will one day return here. ... The Iraqi army is unable to beat back the jihadists, nor is Syria's. ... The West, however, has to ask itself why it stood by so long and watched while allies delivered weapons (and money) to Syria, both of which ended up in the hands of extremists. It is high time for the West to recognize what's at stake in Syria, and change its policy."

By Rainer Hermann

Translated By Stephanie Martin

June 14, 2014

Germany - Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung - Original Article (German)

Those who may have hoped that the war in Syria was of only local importance, has been disabused of that notion by the storming of Mosul and other cities in northern Iraq by terrorists of the “Islamic State.” What al-Qaeda failed to achieve under Osama bin Laden has been achieved by Abu Bakr al Baghdadi in Iraq: The creation of a terrorist state that is a threat to our security. In Iraq, there are already more jihadists under arms than ever fought in Afghanistan. What's new is that among them are several thousand who hail from Europe, and will one day return here.

Also new is the fact that the "Islamic State" is dissolving the borders between states.  That it is financing its expansion with funds extorted in Mosul was already known.  President Maliki’s government did nothing to prevent this, and the Iraqi army has been unable to drive the jihadists out of Fallujah, which they seized earlier this year. Some soldiers have even gone over to the jihadist side: stable institutions are nowhere to be found in Iraq.

Posted By Worldmeets.US

Mosul’s strategic position opens up alarming possibilities for the “soldiers of God.” With his warriors, for whom death is no deterrent, the emir of the “Islamic State,” from Fallujah in the West and Mosul in the North, can now begin his assault on Baghdad. This is, after all, what his fighting name “al Baghdadi" alludes to. With Mosul conquered, he can consolidate his territory in northern Syria and northern Iraq. From Mosul, he can control the waters of the Tigris and oil pipelines leading to Turkey.

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Unless the “Islamic State” meets with resistance, it will continue its murderous activity. The Iraqi army is unable to beat back the jihadists, nor is Syria's. Iran, on the other hand, wouldn't hesitate to protect the government in Baghdad, just as it protects its allies in Damascus. In Iraq, as was the case before in Syria, Kurdish troops could be the central opposition to the jihadists.

The West, however, has to ask itself why it stood by so long and watched while allies delivered weapons (and money) to Syria, both of which ended up in the hands of extremists. It is high time for the West to recognize what's at stake in Syria, and change its policy.

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